Colorado Government Websites Still Aren’t Accessible To Many People With Disabilities. But New Funding Could Finally Change That
By Bente Birkeland
June 3, 2021
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Hart Van Denburg/CPR NewsDemocratic state Rep. David Ortiz in the House on March 4, 2021.
When COVID-19 first hit the state, like many Coloradans, Scott LaBarre, a 52-year-old attorney from Centennial, searched for as much information as he could find.
He wanted to track the number of COVID-19 cases and the slew of sweeping executive orders that brought big changes to public life in Colorado. But he said he quickly realized he couldn’t access the state’s digital information.
LaBarre lost his vision at age ten due to a childhood virus and describes himself as totally blind. He uses a screen reader, which takes text and converts it to synthetic speech, but the state websites weren’t compatible with the software.
“The Americans with Disabilities Act has required the state and other public entities to make websites accessible. Over the years it just hasn’t happened,” said LaBarre, who is president of Colorado’s chapter of the National Federation of the Blind.
He and other advocates for people with disabilities say they’re grateful the Colorado Department of Public Health [...]